Helga and Arnold, the TV Series
by Simmer2000
Summary: Arnold and Helga are invited to take part in a reality TV show.
1. The Letters

Hey Arnold!  
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter One  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't have any connection with the show.  
  
Notes: I'm so sorry about starting another fic! I've just been getting a lot of ideas lately and I can't help writing them as soon as I feel inspired. I'm in the process of adding more chapters to Secrets and Lies and The Wish. I tried to write the last chapter of Oskar, the Millionaire today and I couldn't think of what to write and my mind went blank. Hopefully I'll get over this soon.   
  
Anyway, about this fic. The idea started when I wondered how the Hey Arnold characters would react in the Big Brother house, but then I wondered what it would be like if only Helga and Arnold were in the house for nine weeks together. What type of things would happen? Would they be able to stand each other for so long? Would they work together on weekly tasks and be able to work out their shopping budget together? And I suppose that that is where this whole fic came from. Notice how the term, "Big Brother," isn't mentioned once in this fic, because this isn't supposed to be the Big Brother House, but I suppose that I have to say, Big Brother is not my idea, so don't sue me. Anyway, on with the fic:   
  
***  
  
Arnold yawned as he sleepily walked down the stairs of the boarding house. He entered the dining room and sat down at the table.   
  
"Arnold, you have a letter!" said Grandpa, coming out from the kitchen. Grandpa was in the middle of making breakfast for the boarders. Grandpa passed Arnold the letter.   
  
"Great," said Arnold, who was too tired to take any interest.   
  
"Why don't you open it?" asked Grandpa. "If you look at the back at the envelope, it says that this letter is from Entertainment Now! Entertainment Now is a big TV company!"  
  
"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Arnold. "What do they want from me?" Arnold quickly ripped open the letter read through the exciting letter:  
  
Dear Arnold (it said),  
  
My name is Yasmin Williams and I am the Head of New Shows at Entertainment Now Studios. My job is to approve new shows for Entertainment Now to show. Recently, we came up with a new idea for a show and would like you to participate in the show.   
  
The show will be called "The House," and will be a reality show. Two children of nine years of age will both move into a modern house together for nine weeks. The house will be full of cameras, recording the every moves of the two children, to be shown on television each night.   
  
Your name has been randomly chosen as a child of nine years old, in the area and I would like you to be one of the two children.   
  
If you would like to participate in "The House," please fill in the enclosed form and you will be sent more information.   
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Yasmin Williams,  
Head of New Shows, Entertainment Now Studios.   
  
Arnold gasped. He had the chance to be on TV! He couldn't believe it and he didn't know what to say. "Read this!" he said to Grandpa, passing him the letter.   
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Grandpa, after reading the letter with shock. "Are you going to fill in the form?"  
  
"Of course!" said Arnold. "It's a great opportunity!"  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Grandpa. "Remember, there will be another child in the house. You could end up with anybody and you would have to stay with that person for nine whole weeks! You would never be away from that person and you would get extremely frustrated at times! Are you sure that you want to do this?"  
  
"Yes!" exclaimed Arnold, who hadn't been this happy in months.   
  
"Well then, don't tell anybody about it just yet!" said Grandpa. "Wait until you have filled in the application form and received a reply. Then you can tell anybody that you want!"  
  
"Sure!" smiled Arnold. "I'll fill it in right now!"   
  
Helga Pataki felt herself being shaken. She was lying in her bed and she had the shaking had woken her up. Helga sleepily looked up. Her mother continued to shake her.   
  
"Alright already Miriam, you've managed to wake me up now!" moaned Helga.   
  
"Sweetie, are you going to get ready for school?" asked Miriam Pataki.   
  
"It's Saturday, Mom!" said Helga. "Wake me up in four hours!"   
  
"You have a letter from a major TV company," said Miriam, but with no excitement in her voice.   
  
"What?" shouted Helga. "A TV company? What do they want from me?" Helga pushed away her covers and ran downstairs.   
  
"Where's the letter?" Helga asked Bob.   
  
"What letter?" asked Bob, who looked over his newspaper, sitting on an armchair.   
  
"The letter from a TV company addressed to me!" said Helga.   
  
"It's over there on the counter!" said Bob. "But, don't get too excited. We figured that it's probably for Olga and they made a mistake with the name. Maybe they want to film a documentary on Olga! She is the most perfect child that anybody can imagine!"  
  
"Yeah, right," growled Helga, taking the letter from the counter and ripping it open. Helga read the letter to herself and then ended up reading it aloud to Bob.   
  
"You're going to be on TV?" asked Bob. "That's brilliant! You're brilliant!" Helga could see that Bob would be paying a lot more attention to her in the future.   
  
"I have to fill in this application form!" exclaimed Helga, waving a blue booklet in Bob's face. "I'm going to be famous! Every newspaper in the city will be paying me to give them interviews as soon as I finish the show! I'll be rich!"  
  
Helga and Arnold both filled in their application forms on that Saturday morning. Grandpa and Bob both had to sign the application form to give their permission. They were both happy to sign it. Helga and Arnold both managed to keep their letters a secret for a whole week.   
  
Helga and Arnold had both been pretty impatient when it came to waiting for their response. They had waited for the mailman every day that week, even though the application form had said that it could take up to three weeks to get a reply from the company.   
  
The following Saturday, Helga and Arnold were both delighted when they found that they had both received big brown envelopes with the Entertainment Now stamp stamped on the front of the envelope.   
  
"Grandpa, it's here!" exclaimed Arnold, rushing into the living room. Luckily, nobody else was in the living room, so Grandpa and Arnold could talk in private.   
  
"Open it, open it!" said Grandpa, excitedly.   
  
Arnold opened the large, brown envelope, which contained a letter and one large booklet. The letter said:  
  
Dear Arnold,  
  
Thank you for your response to our letter asking you to take part in our reality TV show, "The House." I was glad to see that you managed to get your legal guardian to sign your application, which was accepted. You will be expected to come to an interview on Friday, 2nd June so we can meet you. If the interview goes well, you will be able to take part in "The House."   
  
The other randomly chosen child has also responded, so everything is going to plan. We would like you not to know who you will be living with for nine weeks, so we ask that you only tell close family members about your participation in the show, until the very last minute. Of course, you will also have to tell your teacher or private tutor (if you have one) about it.   
  
The show's premiere is due to air on 7th July, but this date is subject to change. Once you enter "The House," your life will be watched by millions of people for a maximum of nine weeks. If you feel like you would like to leave "The House," for any reason, you will be free to leave, but you will not be able to come back and you may not take part in any future Entertainment Now productions. Anybody who leaves the house will be replaced.   
  
Enclosed is a booklet containing all of the information that you need. It contains information on the interview, and all of the information about life in "The House." There is also a full set of the rules of participation.   
  
I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming interview and I hope that you will thoroughly enjoy being part of this unique and interesting experience.   
  
Yasmin Williams  
Head of New Shows, Entertainment Now Studios  
  
"Now I'm starting to get very excited!" exclaimed Arnold. "I just can't wait! Life in 'The House' will be so exciting and interesting!"  
  
"You're going to be famous, Short Man!" smiled Grandpa. "You'll make me proud!"   
  
"Thanks, Grandpa," said Arnold.   
  
Helga was equally excited. She also couldn't wait to get into the house. Helga thought that life in "The House," would be easy. She would probably ignore the person who she ended up with, if it was a boy. But, Helga hoped that her housemate would be a girl, somebody who she could talk to and make friends with. Helga also thought that life when the show had ended would be even easier. She would be a millionaire!   
  
After Helga and Arnold's interviews, both were accepted for participation in the show, and after much preparation, on 7th July, both were ready to become TV stars.   
  
Notes: This part is just setting the scene, how they both ended up getting on TV. All of the future chapters will focus on Arnold and Helga's life inside the house and maybe how their family and friends react to them both being constantly watched. I hope that this is a good idea, and doesn't seem too corny. I just thought that it would be interesting to see how they would react being alone together for nine weeks.   
  
I hope that you like this. Please review! 


	2. Day One

Hey Arnold!  
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Two  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or have any connection with the show. This isn't supposed to be the Big Brother house and that it why it isn't mentioned in this story, but Big Brother is not my idea, so don't sue me.   
  
"This morning our two stars moved into 'The House' and saw who they would be spending the next nine weeks with!" exclaimed the young, blonde haired, presenter of "The House." "The two children are both nine years old and are called Helga and Arnold! For the next nine weeks, we will be watching there every move. A summary of the day's events will be shown every day here on Entertainment Now and all events will be shown live on the website!"   
  
The presenter's name was Felicity and this was not her first job as a TV presenter. She had jumped to be the presenter of this TV experience.   
  
"In nine weeks when Arnold and Helga leave the house, I will be here to interview them," smiled Felicity. "But, if one of them decides to leave before the nine weeks are up, I will still interview them here in the studio! Today has been full of shocks as our two stars saw who they will be staying with, so let's watch today's events!"  
  
DAY ONE  
9:00 AM  
  
Arnold and Helga had both been asked to enter the house at different entrances of the house so that they would not meet each other until they entered the house. Cameras were already following Arnold and Helga outside the house. Arnold and Helga were both patient with the cameramen who were getting pictures for that night's show and the media who were trying to get pictures of them. Arnold thought that he had better get used to not having any privacy, so put up with the cameramen. Helga was just happy to be getting some attention.   
  
When the clock striked 9:00 AM, both Helga and Arnold were told that it was time to enter the house by a staff member of Entertainment Now. Helga and Arnold both said goodbye to their loved ones, and entered the modern house at separate entrances.   
  
They both met in the living room and stood still. "Helga?" asked Arnold, stunned that she was here with him. "You're my housemate?"  
  
"I don't believe this!" shouted Helga. "This has to be a mistake, we can't spend nine weeks together!"  
  
Arnold would not have taken part in the whole experience if he had known that Helga would have ended up being his housemate. Living with Helga for this amount of time would be hell, he didn't know if he would be able to stay. Helga was shocked and happy at the sight of Arnold. This would be the perfect chance to get to know Arnold better; it wouldn't be like she would be able to avoid him.   
  
"It looks like we'll have to," said Arnold. "We might as well make the best of it. Do you want to have a look around?"   
  
"Not with you, Football Head," snapped Helga, instantly regretting what she had said.   
  
They both instantly split up and looked around the house. Arnold and Helga both had separate bedrooms. There were mirrors everywhere, this was where the cameramen were to video the action at the house. There were also hidden cameras in the middle of each room.   
  
There were notes everywhere, explaining what everything was for. There was a door that Arnold noticed with the sign, "Emotion Central," with a note stuck on the door, explaining that this was where Arnold and Helga were to go when they needed to talk. Arnold entered the room, which was sound proofed. There was a seat facing a mirror. Arnold couldn't see the person on the other side of the mirror, but heard a man say, "Hello, Arnold."   
  
"Hi," Arnold smiled.   
  
The man on the other side of the mirror could see that Arnold was still confused at what he was to use this room for, so he decided to give Arnold a brief explanation. "Every time you enter this room, there will be somebody here who has been employed to talk to you and Helga," said the man. "If you ever need to say something to us, or just tell us how you are feeling, you can come here. We won't tell Helga what you say, but we won't tell you anything that Helga says, either."  
  
"Okay," said Arnold. "Thanks for explaining. Well, I was kind of surprised when I just entered the house. I know Helga from school and I expected to be here with a stranger."  
  
"Do you and Helga get along?" asked the man.   
  
"Not really," admitted Arnold. "She usually acts mean to me and to my friends. Sometimes she can be okay, but maybe I will be able to get through this with her."   
  
"How do you feel about having Helga as your housemate?" asked the man.   
  
"I'm not sure if I like it," said Arnold. "I hope to get to know Helga better in these next nine weeks. Maybe we could come out as friends."  
  
"Thank you, Arnold," said the man.   
  
"Thanks for listening," smiled Arnold. "I think that I could get used to expressing my feelings like this!" Arnold left the room and saw that Helga was sitting on a couch at the middle of the house. "We can go in that room if we ever need somebody to talk to," Arnold told her. "They're really good at listening!"   
  
"Great," said Helga, sarcastically. "Just what I need. I'm going to check out my bedroom." Helga rushed to her bedroom. There was a big bed in the middle of the room, with drawers for Helga to put her personal possessions in. She sat down on the comfortable bed and took out her locket.   
  
"Oh, Arnold!" she exclaimed. "How I adore you! How I want to tell you how much I love you so that we can spend these nine weeks peacefully! And yet, how you are annoying me already! How I want to pound you!" Then, Helga noticed that even her bedroom had cameras. "Oh my God!" said Helga. She didn't have any secrecy or any privacy while she was in this house and already she had revealed her secret to millions of viewers.   
  
"At least Arnold doesn't know," thought Helga. "But he will when he gets out! The producers of the show will love this gossip! I don't believe what I've just done."   
  
"Attention please," Helga and Arnold heard a voice say over the house PA system. "Could Helga please visit Emotion Central?"   
  
"Oh great!" said Helga. "They want to know all about my relationship with Arnold, already!"   
  
Helga slowly walked out of her bedroom and into Emotion Central, but wasn't quite sure what to say. She entered the room. There was a chair facing a mirror. Helga sat down, but didn't know who she was supposed to be talking to.   
  
"Hi, Helga," said the man behind the mirror. "Welcome to the house."   
  
Helga realised that there was somebody behind the mirror. "Hi," she said, with a lack of enthusiasm.   
  
"We just want to take this opportunity for the viewers to get to know you," said the man. "How do you feel about Arnold?"   
  
"You saw me in my bedroom, didn't you?" asked Helga.   
  
"Yes, we did," admitted the man. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to keep many secrets in this house."  
  
"Please don't show everybody that I love Arnold on the TV show, tonight," pleaded Helga. "This has been my secret for a long time and I don't want it to be made public."   
  
"I'm sorry," said the man. "We can't hide things from the viewers. Besides, this show is being shown live on the Internet, millions of people already know! You might as well explain your relationship with Arnold to us. We are here to listen."   
  
"Okay," said Helga. "Since millions of people are going to know, I might as well explain."  
  
Helga hadn't ever been this nervous. That night, millions of viewers would know about her love for Arnold. Helga knew that she should be taking some sort of action, but the man in Emotion Central had made it quite clear that there was nothing she could do about it. Her secret was out, to everybody except Arnold. Helga knew that when the series finished and both of them moved out of the house, Arnold would find out when he watched the tapes of the show or when somebody was bound to tell him. Maybe this was the perfect time to tell Arnold about her feelings?  
  
"Okay," said Helga, sitting back in the comfortable chair. "I suppose that you have figured out that I have a crush on Arnold, but it's more than that. I love him, I can't imagine loving anybody else! I know that most viewers will probably think that because I am nine years old that I don't know anything about love, but I do. I've loved Arnold for a long time, and maybe I can try and tell him some time in these next nine weeks."   
  
"Do you like the idea of spending nine weeks with Arnold?"   
  
"I suppose that I do," admitted Helga. "It will give us time to get to know each other better. I suppose that I could try and be nice to Arnold."   
  
"Thank you, Helga."   
  
Helga left Emotion Central and went back into her bedroom. She took out a collection of wrestling magazines from one of her suitcases and took them into the living room. Arnold was reading a book, or at least he was pretending. He was really thinking about how he would be able to spend nine weeks with Helga.   
  
12 NOON  
  
"When is lunch around this place?" Helga asked Arnold, looking up from her fifth wrestling magazine. This had been the first time that either of them had spoken since Helga had left Emotion Central. Both of them were too nervous.   
  
"I think I read in the booklet that lunch is served at 12:30," answered Arnold. "Do you think that we could talk?"   
  
"I don't want to talk!" snapped Helga.   
  
"Come on, Helga," said Arnold. "We can't spend nine weeks without talking. There are two of us here so that we can keep each other company. We should try and make the best of it and try to be friends."   
  
"I suppose," said Helga. Helga didn't really want to spend the whole time ignoring Arnold. If Arnold wanted to be friends with her, she could at least try to get along with him, too.   
  
"We managed to get through Biosquare without any major incidents," said Arnold.   
  
"Have you forgotten what happened when we did Biosquare?" asked Helga. "We couldn't stand each other!"   
  
"We still got through it," said Arnold. "I'm sure that if we try and get through this as friends, the time will fly by."   
  
"It's been three hours and I'm bored already," moaned Helga. "Is every day going to be this boring?"   
  
"No!" Arnold reassured her. "They are going to give us things to do! We'll get our first task tomorrow morning!"   
  
"Yeah," said Helga. "And if we are acting boring the people here will give us something to do, won't they? I mean, if we are boring they won't get any viewers!"   
  
"Yeah," agreed Arnold.   
  
10:00 PM  
  
"Can Helga please come to Emotion Central?"   
  
Helga groaned, leaving Arnold confused. Helga had been called to Emotion Central so many times that day, while he had only been called twice! Why did they always want to speak to Helga?   
  
Helga sat down on the chair.   
  
"How's it going?"   
  
"Fine," said Helga. "I'm trying my best to be Arnold's friend."   
  
"When do you think that you will tell him how you really feel?"   
  
"I'm not going to rush anything," said Helga, firmly. "I'm going to see how if we can get along together, first. It's only our first day, I have plenty of time."   
  
"Thank you, Helga."   
  
Helga left Emotion Central, and Arnold decided that he wanted to talk so he went into Emotion Central.   
  
"Hi Arnold, what's up?"   
  
Arnold sat down. "I'm a little confused," he said. "Helga seems to be acting a lot more nicely. I can tell that she is trying her best to be friendly."   
  
"How do you feel about that?"   
  
"Well, it's better than he being mean to me!" said Arnold. "I just want the both of us to come out of here with a stronger relationship."   
  
"Would you like to say anything else about your feelings for Helga?"   
  
"No," said Arnold, who left.   
  
***  
  
"That was today's show!" said Felicity. "Helga is in love with Arnold, but doesn't want to say anything! Lots of drama and it's only the very first day! The House will be back tomorrow at the same time! If you haven't seen enough of Arnold and Helga for one night, you can see what they are doing live, 24 hours a day on our website! What will happen to Arnold and Helga tomorrow? They will be receiving their first task! Will they be able to work together as a team or will everything go wrong? Tune in tomorrow!"   
  
Notes: I'll be adding chapter three soon. 


	3. Day Two

Hey Arnold!  
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Three  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or have any connection with the show. This isn't supposed to be the Big Brother house and that it why it isn't mentioned in this story, but Big Brother is not my idea, so don't sue me.   
  
"Yasmin, you're a genius!" one of the executives at Entertainment Now studios said to Yasmin Williams, just after bursting into her office. "I just got the viewing figures from last night's premiere of The House, and they are sky high!"   
  
"Great!" exclaimed Yasmin. "This show is going to earn our company millions!"   
  
"And of course, the viewing figures can only get higher from her!" exclaimed the executive. "Last night's viewers will pass the word on to their friends! We'll get another two million viewers to the show by the end of Week One!"   
  
"There's also lots of reports on the show in the newspapers!" she exclaimed. "That's good publicity!"   
  
"Every night, people will be tuning in to see if this will be the day that Helga confesses her love to Arnold!" said the executive. "With other shows, I know what is going to happen so I can try and guess what the viewers' reaction will be, but in this show, I have no idea what is going to happen next!"   
  
"That's the beauty of it!" said Yasmin.   
  
"Yeah well, I'm going to talk to the staff that we've employed to be at Emotion Central," said the executive. "The main concept of this show will be Helga's love for Arnold, we have to make those guys ask a lot more questions to Arnold and Helga about their feelings for each other! The viewers will be wondering how long Helga has loved Arnold for, and millions of other questions!"   
  
"Helga won't be able to get away from the media when she gets out!" said Yasmin.   
  
"And if Arnold and Helga start to date, they'll be everybody's favourite couple!" remarked the executive.   
  
That day at school, nobody was talking about anything except The House. Nearly everybody had seen it and those who hadn't, wished they had. Nobody wanted to talk about anything else!   
  
When Arnold's class finally got inside and into their classroom, Mr. Simmons just couldn't get them to settle down. Everybody wanted to know if Phoebe had knew anything about Helga liking Arnold. The whole class was astonished that the Helga that they knew so well had hidden her love for so long.   
  
"Phoebe, did you know about Helga having a crush on Arnold, did you?" asked an excited Rhonda.   
  
"Well... yes," admitted Phoebe. "Helga is fond of Arnold."   
  
"Fond?" exclaimed Rhonda. "Arnold is all that Helga can talk about! She keeps on talking about it in Emotion Central! I wonder if they will end up kissing?"   
  
"Come on Rhonda," said Gerald. "Arnold has no idea that Helga feels that way. It hardly seems likely that they are going to kiss, does it?"   
  
"You never know!" said Rhonda. "Maybe Arnold has been hiding some feelings for all these years!"   
  
"Arnold is my best friend and I know for a fact that he doesn't have a crush on Helga!" said Gerald. "Do you blame him? She acts like she hates Arnold!"   
  
"Now we know why, it's beautiful!" said Rhonda. "I wonder what they will do in tonight's show? They're supposed to be getting a task today, aren't they? Will Helga use this opportunity to show her other side to Arnold?"  
  
"Gawsh!" said Stinky. "If only Arnold knew about Helga's feelings for him!"   
  
"I didn't want to come to school today!" said Rhonda. "I just wanted to watch Helga and Arnold flirt with each other live on the Internet! Daddy said that school comes first and that I can just watch the summary on TV tonight!"   
  
"Rhonda, for the last time, they're not flirting!" said Gerald.   
  
"If only there was some way that we could get a message across to Arnold!" said Sid. "We could tell him about Helga's feelings for him!"   
  
"Daddy could give us all a ride to the house, tonight!" said Rhonda. "Does anybody actually know where the house is?"   
  
"I think that I heard that it's in the country somewhere!" said Gerald. "The studio where Felicity presents the show is adjacent to the house. But, they won't let us close enough. They will have all types of security."   
  
"Gerald's right," said Rhonda. "The producers of the show won't want Arnold to know until Helga confesses. Helga's confession will be the highlight of the series, they won't want to ruin that!"   
  
"We'll just have to wait for Helga to confess!" said Gerald.   
  
Through the talk about the TV show, Mr. Simmons had been trying to get the class to settle down. "Settle down!" Simmons raised his voice to the class. "Now, I know that you are all excited that Helga and Arnold are both turning into TV stars and I agree that it is very special, but you have to concentrate in class!"   
  
The class groaned. "Now, now," said Mr. Simmons. "If I have any more disruption to my class today, I may have to fulfil the painful task of giving you all detention and you could miss tonight's show!"   
  
"No!" shouted the class.   
  
"Please, concentrate!" said Simmons and the class settled down.   
  
That night, everybody settled down to watch the day's events in "The House."   
  
DAY TWO  
6:00 AM  
  
Helga woke up and let out a cry. She had been dreaming that there had been a television in the house and Arnold found out about her feelings for him. Helga knew that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. She decided to take a visit to Emotion Central, after all, they were supposed to be there for her 24 hours a day.   
  
She entered the now familiar room and sat down. "Hello, Helga," a woman's voice greeting her. This woman was taking the night shift of watching events in the house. It hadn't been too interesting, up until then, she had only been watching Helga and Arnold sleep.   
  
"Hi," said Helga.   
  
"Are you okay?"   
  
"Yeah, I'm not really sure why I'm here," said Helga. "I just had a dream that Arnold found out about my feelings for him because there was a television in the house. Nobody will tell Arnold, will they?"   
  
"Nobody in Emotion Central will reveal your secret to Arnold," reassured the woman. "But, when the series has finished and you and Arnold go home, your secret will not be a secret for long."   
  
"I know," muttered Helga. "I don't want Arnold to find out that way. I'll have to discuss my feelings with him before I leave."   
  
"Do you think that you will do that any time soon?"   
  
"I'm just going to tell Arnold when I feel the time is right," said Helga. "I tried to do it yesterday, but I couldn't find the right words."   
  
"What do you think today will have in store for you?"   
  
"Well, we're supposed to be receiving our first task today aren't we?" said Helga. "I suppose that the task will keep me busy for today."   
  
"Do you think that you and Arnold will be able to get along?"  
  
"I'll try to get along with him!" said Helga. "I'm not sure if he will be able to put up with me!"   
  
Helga didn't like the way that this woman was asking her so many questions about Arnold, so she decided to leave. It seemed to her like the people at Emotion Central were trying to get as much information about her feelings for Arnold as possible.  
  
After twenty minutes, Helga was able to get back to sleep.   
  
10:00 PM  
  
At 10:00, both Helga and Arnold were awake and had already been served their breakfasts. Helga tried to avoid any contact with Emotion Central that morning; she was uncomfortable about revealing so much to so many viewers. After breakfast, Helga and Arnold tried to get along with each other and talk.   
  
"How are you finding this experience?" asked Arnold, trying to get Helga to open up to him.   
  
"Okay, so far," said Helga. "But, I don't know what I'll be like in nine weeks time!"   
  
"Helga, you have been quite nice to me since we moved in here, why can't you be like this all the time?" he asked.   
  
"Arnold, I think that we know that being nice isn't my style," said Helga. "I have a reputation to maintain!"   
  
"I don't understand," said Arnold.   
  
"I don't think that you ever will understand me," Helga told him.   
  
"Not until you open up to me!" said Arnold. "What don't I know about you?"   
  
"Arnold, I'm an open book, I'm not hiding anything!" said Helga.   
  
Arnold sighed. Maybe he wouldn't be able to use this experience to get closer to Helga.   
  
"Could Arnold and Helga both visit Emotion Central?"   
  
"Looks like we are about to receive our task!" said Arnold.   
  
They both entered Emotion Central, together, for the first time. Helga sat down, leaving Arnold to stand up. "Hi Helga, hi Arnold," said the latest man on duty at Emotion Central.   
  
"Hi," they both said.   
  
"You are about to receive your first task. If you succeed in completing the task, you will be able to watch a video. If you fail in succeeding the task, you will both have to take part in a forfeit challenge!"   
  
"What's the task?" asked Arnold.   
  
"If you look in the garden of the house, a basketball net has been put up. In two days, you will be tested on your basketball skills. You will both be given one minute and you must get the ball into the net at least fifteen times. If both of you do not get thirty goals when your scores are added together, you must take the forfeit challenge. Use the next two days to practise. Thank you."   
  
They both left Emotion Central. "Great," said Helga, sarcastically. "I can't play basketball! I'm terrible!"   
  
"I could teach you," said Arnold. "I'm not too bad at basketball."   
  
"Have you ever taught anybody basketball before?" asked Helga.   
  
"I helped Coach Wittenberg's son," Arnold remembered. "I suppose I could help you, too."   
  
"Let's start now," said Helga. "I need all the practise I can get."   
  
"Can Helga please visit Emotion Central?"   
  
"Can't these people leave me alone for more than two minutes?" moaned Helga. "I might as well live in that room!"   
  
"Are you going to visit the room?" asked Arnold.   
  
"No, they can leave me alone!" said Helga. "Come on, let's go into the garden."   
  
The garden of The House was very large. It had been designed this way because this would be the place where most of the tasks would take place. Also, because it was summer time, Helga and Arnold would probably be spending most of their time in the garden.   
  
Helga and Arnold found the basketball net right away. "So, let's see how good you are," said Arnold.   
  
Helga picked up one of five basketballs that were in a bag next to the basketball net. A white line had been marked for the place where Helga and Arnold were to stand when trying to score. Helga stood on the line and threw the ball, aiming for the net, but missed by a long shot.   
  
"Now you can see why I need your help," said Helga.   
  
1:03 PM  
  
After Arnold's teaching, Helga was slowly getting better at basketball. Arnold had tested Helga and she was able to get twelve goals in one minute, so she was getting better, all she needed was more practise. Emotion Central had stopped calling for Helga while she was practising with Arnold, it was things like this that would get them high ratings.   
  
When Helga and Arnold decided to take a break from practising, Emotion Central called for both of them to visit the room.   
  
"Hi," they both said happily. They were a tired from their practising, but glad to be spending time with each other.   
  
"Hello. If you look on the floor next to the seat, you will see two diaries. We would like you to fill them in at the end of every day and pass them on to everybody here at Emotion Central."   
  
"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?" asked Arnold.   
  
"If you don't want us to know anything, just don't write it down."   
  
"Okay," said Arnold. Helga made no comment. She didn't like the way that these people were taking advantage of her. It was obvious that they would read the diaries out to the viewers, but if it would make Helga famous, she didn't mind.   
  
5:57 PM  
  
"Tomorrow's our last day for practising," said Arnold, as he sat on the couch indoors, talking to Helga.   
  
"Am I getting better?" asked Helga.   
  
"Sure," said Arnold. "We'll succeed in completing the task and we'll get the reward!"   
  
"Do we get to choose the video if we win?" asked Helga.   
  
"I'm not sure, I'll ask in Emotion Central tomorrow," said Arnold.   
  
"I wonder what our friends are doing now!" said Helga.   
  
"I wonder if they know any dark secrets about us after watching us in here!" said Arnold.   
  
"I wonder," said Helga, wondering how her friends reacted to finding out that she loved Arnold.   
  
***  
  
"Well, will Helga and Arnold complete their task?" Felicity talked into the camera. "That was today's show, but we'll be here tomorrow! We've got a special treat for you all tomorrow, as we will read out Arnold and Helga's diaries! You won't want to miss tomorrow's show! See you all tomorrow, but life hasn't stopped in The House just yet, so log onto our website and watch Arnold and Helga live! Don't miss tomorrow's show!" 


	4. Day Two - The Diaries

Hey Arnold!  
  
Helga and Arnold, The TV Series - Chapter Four  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or have any connection with the show. This isn't supposed to be the Big Brother house and that it why it isn't mentioned in this story, but Big Brother is not my idea, so don't sue me.   
  
Notes: Sorry that this took so long, I had a case of writer's block! I'm still not sure if I'm totally over it, but here is my attempt to carry on writing. This chapter is short. It is the diaries of Arnold and Helga that Emotion Central asked them to write. I thought that it would be a good idea to show what both Arnold and Helga were feeling at the end of each day, and since Helga doesn't seem to be comfortable telling her feelings directly to the viewers, it is better if both of them write a diary at the end of each day:  
  
~Helga's Diary of Day Two~  
  
Emotion Central wants me and Arnold to write a diary entry at the end of each day, so here I go. This morning, I woke up early after a nightmare. I had a horrible dream that there was a television in the house and Arnold found out about my secret. I'm starting to get very uncomfortable about being here. Emotion Central is asking me too many questions and won't leave me alone.   
  
I know that I have to confess my feelings to Arnold before I leave, but I can't seem to find the right time or the right words. How would he react to a confession like that? Would he think that I was joking? After everything that we have been through together, I'm not sure how things would go. I've been mean to Arnold for six years, I don't think that he would be able to get used to me loving him.   
  
But, I feel as if I am trapped. I have to tell Arnold about my feelings for him before we leave the house, unless I want him to find out another way. I wish that I had never agreed to come on this show. It's let out my secret, and invaded my privacy. I thought that I would hide my secret from everybody for a long time, and now, suddenly everybody knows my secret. It's a nightmare.   
  
Today, Arnold and I received our first task. Of course, we have to be tested on one thing that I hate - basketball. This morning, I had no skill whatsoever at basketball, and I was worried that I would ruin the test for both of us. We have two days to practise, so Arnold has been teaching me. He's so patient with me, but he's a really great teacher. I'm slowly getting better at the sport.   
  
Even though Arnold's teaching is improving my skill, I'm still worried that we will fail the test. Arnold and I will have to do a forfeit challenge if we fail! What kind of thing will they make us do if we lose? It's not worth thinking about. Knowing those guys, they will probably make me confess everything to Arnold. If they were to force me to do that, I would refuse. They can't push me around like that. I may be acting sweet in front of Arnold, but I'm still my old self, and I'm not putting up with anything like that. I know that the company will do anything for viewers. But, I had better stop talking about the people who run the show this way, since they are eventually going to read this.   
  
Arnold and I have grown closer together, I can feel it. Yesterday, we were both tense and nervous, for the first part of the day. I was too shy to talk to him and I think that he was pretty nervous, too. But tonight, we have been talking a lot, and I can feel us becoming close friends very quickly. It's amazing how these first two days have changed the relationship between Arnold and me, but we have been spending so much time together, it's hard not to pay attention to each other. Hopefully we will come out of the house as more than friends.   
  
~Helga~  
  
~Arnold's Diary of Day Two~  
  
Hi! Today's been pretty cool! Emotion Central gave me and Helga the challenge of a basketball test in a couple of day's time, so we have both spent the day practising. Basketball isn't Helga's sport, so I've been teaching her some basic skills and she's doing fine so far. When we do the test, we're aiming to get 15 balls in the net in one minute and Helga is nearly there! And, even if she doesn't make it to fifteen balls, I should be able to make up for it.   
  
Helga has been pretty cool with me, sharing a house with Helga hasn't been as horrible as I imagined it would be. When I walked into the house yesterday and saw Helga standing in front of me, I have to admit that I was horrified. We hadn't been able to get along when we did the Biosquare experiments and we only did that for a day! We're going to be here for nine weeks!   
  
I'm beginning to see the other side to Helga that I've been looking for and I can see that she can be nice, sometimes. I'm starting to think that Helga is misunderstood. Most of us see her as a mean bully, but she's not like that. I hope that my friends that are watching at home are starting to see another side to Helga. Sometimes Helga can be mean, but at other times, she can be okay!   
  
There's one strange thing that I have noticed - Emotion Central always seem to be calling for Helga, but hardly ever want to see me. I can see that Helga is an interesting person, but what do they want to see her about? What is she hiding? I suppose that I won't know until I leave the house - I hope my Grandpa is taping the episodes for me.   
  
~Arnold~  
  
Notes: Sorry that this is short, I want to write diary entries for both Helga and Arnold at the end of each day, just so you guys know how they are feeling. Hopefully, I'm getting over my writer's block, but if this doesn't seem to be up to my usual standard, you know why. The next chapter, Day Three, will be added soon.  



	5. Day Three

Hey Arnold!  
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Five  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or have any connection with the show. This isn't supposed to be the Big Brother house and that it why it isn't mentioned in this story, but Big Brother is not my idea, so don't sue me.   
  
"Sir, I need to talk to you!" a reporter of a tabloid newspaper said as he nervously entered the office of the editor.   
  
"What is it, I'm really busy!" moaned the editor, as he gave out a loud yawn.   
  
"The public is very excited about the new reality TV show, The House!" the reporter exclaimed.   
  
"How can you be so sure that it's going to stay popular?" asked the pessimistic editor of the newspaper. "Today is only the third day of the show!"   
  
"The show is particularly popular with the younger audience, don't we want to set up a good relationship with them, by reporting on things that will interest them?" asked the reporter.   
  
"Listen," said the editor impatiently. "We already have a report on the show. Somebody reported about Helga. My two daughters watch the show, themselves. They told me that she has a secret crush on the boy who she is living with?"   
  
"That's right, sir," said the reporter, who had watched the show with his own children.   
  
"Sound's like bad TV!" moaned the miserable editor.   
  
"Kids love things like that!" said the reporter. "I have an idea that will make us the most popular newspaper with the young children! They're more interested in current affairs then you think, especially if we start reporting on more showbiz news. Do you want to hear about my idea?"   
  
"What's your idea?" the editor asked, suddenly interested in what the reporter was saying to him.   
  
"The whole concept of this show is Helga and Arnold's relationship with each other," started the man.   
  
"My daughters told me that Arnold has no idea about Helga's feelings for him!" interrupted the editor. "They have no relationship with each other."   
  
"That's part of my plan!" continued the reporter. "If Helga doesn't confess to Arnold soon, the children will get bored with the show. I have a way that will make Arnold find out about Helga's feelings for him, today!"   
  
"How can you make that happen?" asked the editor.   
  
"I've made some fliers alerting Arnold of Helga's feelings for him," said the reporter, taking some pieces of paper out from a briefcase. "We can use a remote controlled helicopter to deliver these to the house. As the helicopter flies over the house, it can drop these fliers into the garden of the house. Arnold is bound to see them! It'll be the highlight of the series! Helga will be forced to confess everything, and the kids will love us for making things happen!"   
  
"Won't that ruin the series?" asked the editor, wondering if this was a good idea. "Won't the viewers want her to confess when she is ready?"   
  
"Trust me!" said the reporter. "Please let me go ahead with this!"   
  
"Okay," said the editor, giving in. "You have my permission."   
  
"That's great! I'll start preparing for it now!"   
  
The reporter thanked his boss, and left his office to put his plan into action.   
  
***  
  
The audience in the studio cheered, after Felicity had finished reading out both Helga and Arnold's diaries of Day Two. "Now," started Felicity. "We had some drama in the house today, that Internet viewers will already know about. A tabloid newspaper dropped fliers into the garden of the house, alerting Arnold of Helga's feelings for him."   
  
The audience gasped with disbelief. Did Arnold know about Helga's feelings for him? Would this be the day that Arnold would find out? They started to whisper amongst themselves, as Felicity continued. "Now, the newspaper wanted Arnold to find out about Helga's feelings for him. They did succeed in dropping the fliers into the garden of the house."   
  
The audience and the viewers at home waited for Felicity to tell them if Arnold knew about Helga's feelings for him, but Felicity didn't let anything slip. "Here is Day Three," she said, and the audience and the viewers at home watched the day's events.   
  
DAY THREE   
8:33 AM  
  
Arnold and Helga both got up from their beds early, and quickly got ready to practise. They both quickly got to work, as Arnold watched Helga get slowly better.   
  
"Aren't you going to practise?" asked Helga. "I don't want you to be wasting all of your time on me."   
  
"Don't worry!" reassured Arnold. "Basketball is my sport, I don't need much practise. But, you don't have to worry. I'll try to practise my own skills later on today. Let's work on your skill, for now."   
  
"Okay," Helga smiled at Arnold, lovingly. "Let's get to work!"  
  
1:55 PM  
  
Arnold and Helga had both been practising for most of the morning, stopping for some breaks along the way. When Arnold had gone inside the house after being called by Emotion Central, Helga decided to time herself and see how many balls she could get into the net in one minute.   
  
As Helga tested herself, the remote controlled helicopter flew above the house. Helga didn't notice it, as she continued to practise. The helicopter, which had been holding 10 fliers alerting Arnold of Helga's feelings, dropped the fliers once it was directly above the garden.   
  
The fliers scattering amongst the garden, one landed close to Helga's feet. It was only when Arnold came back into the garden after talking to Emotion Central, that Helga noticed the fliers. "What are those sheets of paper?" asked Arnold.   
  
Helga picked up the paper that had landed close to her feet. She read the note with horror. It was a letter for Arnold from a newspaper, alerting him about her feelings for him! Well, at least Arnold can't see this, Helga thought, but then remembered that there were more fliers scattered around the garden.   
  
"What is it?" asked Arnold, interested in what this message for both of them was.   
  
"Oh... nothing," said Helga, nervously, as she quickly ran around the garden, picking up the fliers. She counted nine fliers. One was missing, but where was it? Her hands shaking, she looked around the grass for the remaining flier. Looking up in horror, she saw that Arnold was reading the piece of paper, telling Arnold everything about Helga's feelings for him.   
  
"It's for me!" said Arnold after reading his name at the top of the paper.   
  
"Arnold, no!" Helga shouted, rushing over to Arnold and taking a hold on the paper, trying to snatch it from Arnold.   
  
"Helga, stop it!" exclaimed Arnold. "What are you doing?"   
  
"Just give it to me, it's not important!" Helga said to him, as she tried to pull the paper from his hands.   
  
"Just let me read it!" said Arnold, pulling back.   
  
The paper ripped and fell to the floor. Helga quickly the two pieces up from the ground and quickly ran inside. She entered Emotion Central, placing the fliers on the seat. "Hide these!" she exclaimed.  
  
"We will remove them from the house as soon as you leave this room," the woman behind the mirror clearly stated.   
  
"You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?" asked Helga, suspiciously.   
  
"Emotion Central does not interfere with matters like that."   
  
"Good," said Helga. "They may not have succeeded in getting the message across to Arnold, but now Arnold will be suspicious! He'll know that I'm hiding something from him because of the way that I just reacted!"   
  
"Are you going to confess to Arnold because of this?"   
  
"I just need some time to think," said Helga, as she left the room. The woman removed the fliers from the room.   
  
"What was all that about?" asked Arnold, now in the living room.   
  
"Nothing," said Helga.   
  
"What are you hiding from me?" asked Arnold.   
  
"I'm going to my room," said Helga. "Please, just leave me alone for a while."   
  
"What about practising?" Arnold shouted after her, but Helga ignored him and went into her bedroom. Helga had left Arnold very confused. Just when he thought that he was beginning to understand Helga, he was now baffled as to what she was thinking and to what was the matter with her.   
  
He decided to go to Emotion Central. Maybe they would tell him why she was acting so strange. If I do know why she is acting this way, I will know how I am supposed to act towards her, thought Arnold. He entered the room and said, "Helga is acting really strange towards me. Have I done something wrong? Is it living in this situation that is making her act so strange? I really need to know, because I want to know if it is my fault and if there is anything that I can do that will make her feel better."   
  
"I'm sorry, but anything that Helga says in here, is confidential. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything about how Helga is feeling. It is up to her to discuss things with you, when she feels ready to."   
  
"I'm not blind, I can tell that there is something wrong," said Arnold.   
  
"I'm sorry, there is nothing that I can do."   
  
"I was afraid that you would say that," sighed Arnold. "Thanks anyway." Arnold left the room and decided to practise his own basketball skills while Helga was in her room, for whatever reason.   
  
5:37 PM  
  
Arnold knocked gently on Helga's door and entered her room. She was lying down on her bed; she appeared to be sleeping. She woke up; she had been disturbed by Arnold's presence in the room.   
  
"Sorry for waking you up," Arnold apologised. "You can't stay in here all day. Come out in the garden and practise with me some more."   
  
"Okay," said Helga, who had calmed down, after her lucky escape.   
  
They went into the garden, where Helga began to practise some more, but she was unable to get any balls into the net. The events of the afternoon had made her feel nervous and she had lost her touch.   
  
"Oh no!" exclaimed Helga. "I've lost it! I'll never be able to get my touch back by tomorrow!"   
  
"Don't worry, I'll carry on teaching you!" said Arnold. "You'll get it back. I promise."   
  
Notes: The next chapter will be Arnold and Helga's diaries of Day Three.  



	6. Day Three - The Diaries

Hey Arnold!  
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Six  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or have any connection with the show. This isn't supposed to be the Big Brother house and that it why it isn't mentioned in this story, but Big Brother is not my idea, so don't sue me.   
  
Notes: Here are Helga and Arnold's diaries of Day Three - enjoy!   
  
~Helga's Diary of Day Three~  
  
Today has been the worst day that I have spent in the house, so far. It started out okay, Arnold and I spent most of the morning practising, and I felt totally ready for tomorrow's test of our basketball skills. While Arnold was inside, talking to Emotion Central, some fliers were dropped into the garden, but I was so busy practising, that I didn't notice them.  
  
Arnold came out and spotted them, and that was when I noticed ten fliers spread across the garden. I picked one up, and read the notice with horror. A newspaper had dropped these fliers, and they were for Arnold. They were telling him of my love for him!   
  
They said that everybody who worked for the newspaper felt that he should know. They have no right to do that to me! It's bad enough that the whole country knows my secret now, but now people are trying to get messages across to Arnold. They don't understand that I am a person with feelings. I'm not here to entertain them every night as the tune in and watch the show!   
  
As soon as I read the notice, I wanted to run away, to leave the house. I felt betrayed, but luckily, Arnold hadn't read the any of the fliers. I rushed around the garden, picking up the notices. I picked up nine, and stood in shock as I saw that Arnold had one of the fliers in his hand. He saw that the notice was for him. Quickly, I rushed over to him and tried to grab the paper from him.   
  
He was surprised, he hadn't read the notice, and wondered why I wanted to take the note from him. We both pulled and the paper eventually ripped. I picked it up, along with the rest of the fliers, and I took them into Emotion Central, who said that they would remove them from the building. They told me that these papers had nothing to do with them, and I believe them.   
  
When I left the room, I saw that Arnold was completely baffled at my behaviour. Of course I could see why, but I wasn't about to explain what the whole thing was about. I'm not ready to tell Arnold, yet. I am going to decide when I tell Arnold, and I don't care what anybody else thinks.   
  
I ran to my room, and stayed there for most of the day. I must have fell asleep, as when I woke up, Arnold was standing over me, urging me to come out and practise with him some more. I couldn't refuse; I didn't want Arnold to ask any questions. As I practised, I realised that the events of today made me nervous, and made me lose my touch. Arnold tried to help me get it back, throughout the night, but it was no use. Tomorrow, I have a bad feeling that we will fail the task. And what kind of forfeit challenge will Emotion Central give us then?  
  
~Helga~  
  
~Arnold's Diary of Day Three~  
  
Today was strange. I have no idea what is going through Helga's mind. She seemed terribly upset, today, and there is nothing that I can do to help her, because nobody will tell me what is the matter with her! Helga won't tell me what is the matter, and Emotion Central is being very secretive about something.   
  
Today, Helga and me were having a great time practising for our basketball skills test, tomorrow, when I get called to Emotion Central to see how I'm feeling. When I'm finished talking to them, I see pieces of paper scattered across the garden. I mentioned them to Helga and she picked one up and began to read. I saw her face turn white. Something that was on those sheets upset her. She ran around the garden, picking up the fliers.   
  
She missed one, which I picked up. Before I could read it, Helga starts trying to grab it from me! It finally ripped and Helga took the fliers into Emotion Central. I saw one thing on those fliers - they were for me. Helga spent the whole day in her room. I woke her up later on today, and we decided to practise some more.   
  
It turns out that Helga has lost her touch - and hasn't yet managed to get it back. Something is wrong - but I will find out what it is - soon.   
  
~Arnold~  
  
Notes: The next chapter will be the events of Day Four!  



	7. Day Four

Hey Arnold!   
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Seven  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or have any connection with the show. This isn't supposed to be the Big Brother house and that it why it isn't mentioned in this story, but Big Brother is not my idea, so don't sue me.   
  
Mr. Simmons' class entered their classroom noisily, to find that Mr. Simmons wasn't at his desk yet. Mr. Simmons was in the stock cupboard, getting paints for the Art lesson that the class was having, today. Once they had sat down, the only topic of conversation was the events of the third day in The House.   
  
"Can you believe yesterday's show?" asked Rhonda. "It was such a disappointment!"   
  
"What do you mean?" asked Gerald. "What was wrong with it?"   
  
"Well, I thought that Helga was going to have to confess!" exclaimed Rhonda. "She managed to collect in all of those fliers from the ground and Arnold still doesn't know about Helga's feelings for him! When is that girl going to tell Arnold how she feels!"   
  
"They're going to be in the house for nine weeks, today is only the third day!" argued Gerald. "Helga has lots of time to confess and it doesn't look like she's rushing into anything!"   
  
"You would say that," muttered Rhonda.   
  
"What do you mean?" asked Gerald angrily.   
  
"Oh please, Gerald, everybody can see that you don't want Helga to end up with Arnold," said Rhonda. "I don't know why you're so against it, but you need to stop being so pessimistic about it! Helga is going to confess to Arnold some time during these next nine weeks, whether you like it or not. The newspaper had a great plan! It's so sad that it didn't work out!"   
  
"I don't agree!" Sheena spoke out for the first time. "It's up to Helga when she chooses to confess her love to Arnold! She isn't on the show to entertain people; she is a real person! Think of all the crushes that you have had in your past! Would you want to confess your love on television?"   
  
"Helga has loved Arnold for six years," said Phoebe. "She has kept her true feelings from Arnold for all that time; it could be a long wait! She might choose to tell Arnold on the very last day!"   
  
"Yeah," said Gerald. "I wouldn't want millions of people to know about my love life."   
  
"I agree with you, Rhonda," said Curly, as he moved towards Rhonda and winked at her. "So, shall I come over to your house tonight? We can talk about the show more!" Curly winked at Rhonda, again.   
  
"Get away from me, you freak!" squealed Rhonda.  
  
Mr. Simmons entered the room, holding paints and brushes for the day's Art Lesson. "Now, now class settle down," said Mr. Simmons. "I'm sorry I'm late, we need these paints and brushes for today's Art lesson."  
  
The class settled down and Mr. Simmons began to take the register.   
  
***  
  
Inside a meeting of the producers of The House, the producers were solemnly talking about the events of the previous day. They had decided that they should take some sort of acting against the newspaper for interfering with the show.   
  
"I just don't understand what we can do about this!" exclaimed Yasmin Williams, the woman who had originally sent out the letters to both Arnold and Helga. "It's not like we have a serious case here!"  
  
"We have to do something," said Paul Jenkins, the executive producer of the show.   
  
"I have an idea," said one of the producers. "Our company has five comic strips that are printed in that newspaper. They are pretty popular, we could send a letter to the editor of the newspaper saying that we won't be producing comic strips for the newspaper any more because they tried to ruin our show."   
  
"It's a start," grunted Paul. "It's better than nothing, anyway. We'll find somebody else to print our comic strips, no problem there."   
  
"Helga did not seem happy yesterday," Yasmin pointed out. "She must feel really annoyed."   
  
"It looks like they are both going to fail the basketball test today," said Paul. "So, what kind of forfeit shall we give them if they fail?"   
  
DAY FOUR  
10:50 AM  
  
Helga woke up to the sound of birds singing outside. She sat up in her bed, quickly remembering the events of the previous day. She looked over at her clock. "Oh no!" shouted Helga. "I've slept in! Arnold and I were supposed to practise some more this morning! I've completely lost my touch - we have no chance of winning!"   
  
She quickly jumped up from her bed, not sure what to do first. She quickly got dressed and ran out of her bedroom, wondering if Arnold had woken up yet. Arnold wasn't in the living room or the garden! He had slept in too! Helga burst into Arnold's bedroom shouting, "Wake up! Wake up!"   
  
"What is it?" asked Arnold, sleepily.   
  
"We've slept in!" squealed Helga. "We have no time to practise - our test is at 11 AM!"   
  
"Oh no!" shouted Arnold. "Without any more practise - we're bound to fail!"   
  
"Listen," said Helga. "Get dressed. Then, we can go into Emotion Central and plead with them to give us more time to practise. Just an extra hour - that should be enough!"   
  
"Okay," said Arnold.   
  
10:55 AM  
  
Once they were both ready, both Arnold and Helga entered Emotion Central to plead with them for extra time to practise.   
  
"Hello Arnold, hello Helga," said the man behind the mirror, once Helga and Arnold were inside the small room.   
  
"Hi," smiled Arnold. "We have something that we would like to ask you."   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"We've slept in!" exclaimed Helga. "As you know, I've lost my basketball skill and I need more time to practise. One hour should be enough! Without extra practise - we'll fail the task for sure!"   
  
"We will consider your request - we will call for you in three minutes."   
  
10:58 AM  
  
"Can Arnold and Helga please come to Emotion Central?"   
  
The voice that Helga and Arnold had been waiting for came through the PA system of the house. They had both waited patiently for three minutes, waiting for Emotion Central to consider Arnold and Helga's request. Arnold and Helga had stayed hopeful - they thought that Emotion Central would give them extra practise time. After all, they wanted Arnold had Helga to complete the task - didn't they?   
  
Yet again, Helga and Arnold entered the tiny room that they had now grown used to. They smiled into the mirror, even though they couldn't see the facial expression of the man behind the mirror.   
  
"We have considered your request," started the man. "Unfortunately for you - we decided that two days was enough time to practise for today's test - so we will not give you any more time. Please make your way to the garden. The test will commence in two minutes time."   
  
Helga and Arnold sadly left the room. "Well, shall we give up now?" asked Helga.   
  
"Of course not!" exclaimed Arnold. "We can't give up - we practised this for two days! You're just nervous - that's why you feel like you have lost your skill - but really, you haven't! Just relax; trust the ball and everything will be fine! Now come on, let's get to the garden."   
  
Helga still didn't believe that they could pass the test - but she made her way to the garden anyway. The man from Emotion Central talked to them over the PA system.   
  
"Please decide which one of you will go first."   
  
"I'm going to go first," said Helga. Arnold could sense her doubt by the sound of her voice. Would Helga even try to do well? Or would she give up?   
  
A siren sounded. Helga picked up the first ball, and threw it towards the net. It missed. "Damn it!" cursed Helga.   
  
"Come on, Helga!" encouraged Arnold. "Just trust the ball!"   
  
Helga took Arnold's advice and picked up the next ball. This ball also missed and so did Helga's next seven attempts to get a ball into the net.   
  
"Come on Helga, you can still do it!" said Arnold. "I have faith in you!"   
  
Helga didn't know how Arnold could stay so positive. Helga knew that there was no chance that she could do it - even Arnold wouldn't be able to make up for her mistakes. She could feel anger boiling up inside her. She thought about how things had been ever since she had entered this house and had her life turned into some sort of a soap opera. She remembered how Emotion Central had taken advantage of her. They were always calling for her - wanting to know how she was feeling about Arnold on that day, whether this would be the day that she would confess and every little detail of her relationship with Arnold. And now they wanted her to do some stupid basketball test? Why? This whole thing didn't mean anything to her!   
  
She picked up one of the balls, and threw it over the large wooden fence that separated her and Arnold from the outside world.   
  
"Helga, no!" shouted Arnold. "What are you doing?"   
  
Helga looked over at Arnold's face. He was pleading with her to try and do her best. She had to do this, for her true love. But then, Helga felt herself thinking again about Emotion Central. How they used her to get high viewing figures. She also remembered how the press had decided to disregard her own feelings and try and get a message across to Arnold - telling him about her feelings. The anger was building up inside Helga - she couldn't stand it. She had to take it out on somebody. Of course, it had to be Arnold. He was the only person besides the people in Emotion Central that she had any contact with.   
  
"What are you waiting for?" asked Arnold. "You still have time! Trust the ball!"   
  
"Shut up, Football Head!" screamed Helga, as she picked up another ball and threw it over the fence. She did the same with every ball that had been laid out for Helga and Arnold's use during practising and for the test. "I give up!"   
  
"Helga, how am I supposed to take my turn with no balls for me to throw?" asked Arnold.   
  
"That's the whole point!" shouted Helga. "I don't want to do this! It's stupid!" Helga stormed inside the house, leaving Arnold alone in the garden. The siren sounded again to mark the end of Helga's turn and for Arnold to start his turn, but all Arnold could do was stand and wait for his turn to end. Helga had ruined any chances of them completing the task. But now, they had to complete a forfeit challenge.   
  
11:10 AM  
  
Helga had gone straight to her room - leaving Arnold alone in the living room. He couldn't believe Helga's behaviour. He had thought that Helga and him were getting along unusually well in the house, but now they had began to argue. Why did Helga have to be like that? It was obvious that she had a nice side - she had been showing it to him in the previous three days that they had been staying in the house. Was it just the pressure of being on television that had made Helga flip out during the test? Arnold was also still aware that Helga was hiding something from him - but still couldn't figure out what it was. Arnold sighed. Would he ever understand Helga?   
  
Helga lay miserably on her bed. Helga knew that she shouldn't have reacted in that way - the pressure of the past few days had caught up with her and she had taken her anger out on Arnold. Poor Arnold, thought Helga. He was the most important person to her in the entire world and she had ruined her chance to show him that she wasn't all bad. "Oh Arnold," she sighed, looking into her locket. "I don't deserve you - I know I don't! You light up my life and I still treat you so badly! If only you knew how I really feel about you! If only you knew that I absolutely worship you?"   
  
Helga was interrupted by an announcement made over the PA system by Emotion Central. "Emotion Central would like to officially announce that you both failed your first task and that you will have to complete a forfeit challenge later on today. The challenge will be announced at 3 PM today. We would like to remind you that failure to take part in the forfeit challenge might lead to you being excluded from the house. Thank you."   
  
"Oh great," muttered Helga. "There's no doubt that they will use the situation to their advantage! I hate being here!"   
  
2:55 PM  
  
Helga, who was still in her room, decided that it was time for her to face Arnold. She had to do it some time; it would be better for her to do it now, rather than later. She left her room and saw that Arnold was sitting on one of the couches, staring into space. Was Arnold angry with her? She hoped not - she hated the idea of Arnold not speaking to her.   
  
She sat down on the couch facing Arnold. "Hey," she said gently. Arnold just looked up at Helga and scowled. "Oh please, Arnold!" pleaded Helga. "I'm sorry, give me another chance to prove myself!"   
  
"Helga, you ruined any chances of us completing the task!" said Arnold. "You gave up so easily, you threw the balls over the fence. There was a chance that I could have got thirty balls in the net and we would have completed the task! It may have been a slim chance, but it wasn't impossible. You ruined all of that. How can you expect me to forgive so easily?"   
  
"I know Arnold, I just want another chance!" pleaded Helga.   
  
"Just leave me alone for a while," said Arnold.   
  
"Fine, then!" shouted Helga. "You're a nice guy Arnold - I thought that maybe you would understand my circumstances and the pressure that I was under! We're locked away in this house, we have no contact with the outside world! I am allowed to have a bad day, where I feel depressed and angry. I'm sure that while we are here, you will have one of those days. You may get angry! You might even take it out on me! I thought that you would be able to show a little bit of sympathy towards me! Arnold, just forget that I apologised! But don't think that I'm going to lock myself away in my room - I have as much right to be here as you!"   
  
Arnold didn't respond. Emotion Central made an announcement. "Your forfeit challenge has been decided. Tonight, you will both play a game of Truth or Dare, but only a very short game. Emotion Central will automatically pick whether you are to answer a question truthfully or perform a dare. You will both choose each other's dares and questions. The game will be played at 9 PM tonight. If you have any questions, please direct them to us before the game starts. Thank you."   
  
This was all Helga needed. Emotion Central was taking advantage of her again - a truth question about who she had a crush on was bound to come up. She had tried apologising to Arnold - but he was still mad at her. This wasn't the Arnold that she knew. Why was he being so stubborn? Was Arnold feeling the pressure of being inside the house, too? Helga didn't know and she started to wonder how she could get Arnold to forgive her.   
  
9:00 PM  
  
"Please get ready to play Truth or Dare!" a woman's voice said over the PA system.   
  
Helga and Arnold were still not speaking to each other. The house had been silent for so long, now. Even Emotion Central had left them both alone throughout the afternoon and the evening. They had even eaten their dinners in silence, much to Helga's dismay.   
  
"Arnold - you will be asked a question by Helga that you have to answer truthfully," the woman said. "Helga, please ask Arnold a question."   
  
Helga was depressed about Arnold not speaking to her, but she was still angry with him. What question could she ask him? It had to be a really juicy question. She was angry at Arnold and couldn't help wanting to get back at him. "Tell me the truth," said Helga. "Does Gerald really have a crush on Phoebe?"   
  
Arnold stayed silent for a moment. What could he do? He couldn't break Gerald's trust - but he had to tell the truth. "I'm not exactly sure about how he feels for her," said Arnold, nervously.   
  
"You're lying!" exclaimed Helga. "Tell the truth!"   
  
"Okay, I guess that Gerald does have a crush on Phoebe," said Arnold, instantly regretting giving in to Helga. "A little bit!"   
  
"I thought so," Helga smiled cunningly smiled at Arnold.   
  
"Helga - you will now be asked a question by Arnold that you have to answer truthfully. Arnold, please ask Helga a question."   
  
Arnold was now angry that Helga had put him in such an awkward position. She was really starting to bug him. "Okay, Helga," snapped Arnold. "Who do you have a crush on?"   
  
Helga stared at Arnold. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't tell Arnold the truth, anyway. It wasn't the right time, especially when they were both arguing. But, was she supposed to lie? Emotion Central would know that she was lying if she didn't say that she had a crush on Arnold. She had to lie, it was her only choice.   
  
"I don't have a crush on anybody, Football Head!" snapped Helga. "And I'm sick of playing this game, I quit!"   
  
"Helga, we have to play this game, we failed the task, remember?" said Arnold.   
  
"I'm not doing it!" exclaimed Helga, as she walked towards Emotion Central and stormed inside the room. "Listen to me!" shouted Helga as she entered the room, but then calmed down and talked quietly because Arnold might have been able to hear her. "You've taken advantage of me again! I'm not carrying on with this game! I want you to know that I am seriously considering leaving this place. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to bed now."  



	8. Day Four - The Diaries

Hey Arnold!   
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Eight  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or have any connection with the show. This isn't supposed to be the Big Brother house and that it why it isn't mentioned in this story, but Big Brother is not my idea, so don't sue me.   
  
~Helga's Diary of Day Four~  
  
It was another horrible day, today. It was even worse than yesterday. We both slept in, giving us no extra time to practise for the test. We pleaded with Emotion Central to give us extra time to practise - but they wouldn't give us any. They said that two days was enough time to practise, and that extra time wasn't needed. After what I had to put up with yesterday, they could have gave me an extra hour to practise, but they probably wanted Arnold and me to lose.   
  
I knew right away that it would be a disaster - but Arnold stayed hopeful. He thought that completing the task was still possible and that we should both try our best. I did want to try my best; I wanted Arnold to at least know that I had tried. That would be a great way to get him to like me more, but unfortunately, events didn't go the way that I had planned.   
  
I decided to go first, I tried my best, shooting the balls into the net. I knew that it was hopeless - every shot missed. Arnold still thought that I could do it, he believed in me, but I didn't believe in myself. I found myself getting worked up, thinking about all of the times that Emotion Central have used me while I have been here and I also thought about how the press didn't care about my feelings. This made me so angry, that I forgot about trying my best, about trying to please Arnold. My anger and rage took over. I picked up all of the balls in turn, and threw them over the large fence in the garden.   
  
I shouted at Arnold - again I took out my anger on the one, true person who lights up my life. I stormed into my bedroom and stayed there until it was almost 3 PM. I had time to think while I was alone in my bedroom - I regretted what I had done - and when I finally left my room - I decided to apologise to Arnold.  
  
I pleaded with him to give me another chance - but he refused. He was still angry. I have never seen Arnold act in a stubborn way before - usually he always wants to be friends with everybody and doesn't hold a grudge - but not today. I think that I pushed him too far.   
  
When Arnold refused to accept my apology, I found myself shouting at him again. I told him how I was having a bad day and that he should understand that - but for some reason he couldn't understand what I was saying. I think that this is because the pressure of us both being put into this situation is affecting him more than I realised. I have been slightly selfish in the four days that I have been staying here. I have only thought about how I am feeling - I have forgot that Arnold could be taking this badly on the inside, but not showing it.   
  
Because we failed our task, Emotion Central made us perform a Forfeit Challenge. It was to have a short game of Truth or Dare. At 9 PM, we still had to perform the challenge, even though we were both still not talking to each other.   
  
Emotion Central "randomly" picked whether we were to ask each other Truth or Dare questions. They said that I had to ask Arnold a question that he had to answer truthfully. Still slightly mad at Arnold, I decided to put him in an awkward situation. I asked him how Gerald felt about Phoebe.   
  
Arnold was reluctant to tell the truth at first, but realised that he had to, and he admitted to millions of viewers that Gerald had a crush on Phoebe. Then, Emotion Central said that Arnold had to ask me a question that I had to answer truthfully. My heart sank. I knew what he would ask. He asked me who I had a crush on. I couldn't tell the truth - it wasn't the right time. Not when we were both arguing. I sat in silence - but I could tell that Arnold was waiting for an answer.   
  
I told Arnold that I didn't have a crush on anybody and I went into Emotion Central. I'm sick of the way that they are treating me. I told them something that I really mean - I want to leave this place. I want to go home. After that, I went straight to bed, ignoring Arnold.   
  
~Helga~  
  
~Arnold's Diary of Day Four~  
  
I don't really have much to say about today - apart from the fact that it was a complete disaster. We failed our task because Helga gave up and threw our balls over the garden fence. She started to shout at me and then she stayed in her room for several hours.   
  
When it was nearly 3 PM, she came out from her room and she wanted me to accept her apology - but I couldn't. She is acting completely selfishly - she doesn't care about how I feel. She doesn't understand that I miss being home, too.   
  
We had to complete a Forfeit Challenge because we failed the task - a game of Truth or Dare. Thanks to Helga's question, I ended up blowing Gerald's biggest secret to everybody who was watching. In a few minutes, I'm going to ask Emotion Central not to screen that part. I don't want to betray Gerald.   
  
In the middle of the game, Helga got upset over something - but I'm not sure what. Helga seems to have been very secretive since we moved in here. She refused to carry on with the game - went into Emotion Central and came out looking very upset and then she went straight to bed.   
  
I'm still mad at Helga - but if I am making her upset - I'll try and be a lot more friendly to her tomorrow.   
  
~Arnold~ 


	9. Day Five

Hey Arnold!  
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Nine  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: Lawyers, take note! I'm not saying that I own Hey Arnold by writing this. I'm just a kid writing a fan fic.   
  
DAY FOUR  
9:22 PM  
  
Arnold had just finished writing his diary for the day when he entered Emotion Central. He sat down and stared into the mirror.   
  
"Hi," said Arnold.   
  
"Hello," said the woman behind the mirror. "What would you like to talk about?"  
  
"When Helga and I were playing Truth or Dare, I let one of my friend's secrets slip. I don't think that he would appreciate his private life being shown to millions of viewers, so could you please not show that to the audience?"  
  
"Sorry," said the woman sympathetically. "You know the rules - you are on camera 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with everything being shown to Internet viewers and highlights being shown every night on television. We're sorry - the game of Truth or Dare has to be shown to the audience."   
  
"Okay," said Arnold with a sigh. "Sorry Gerald."  
  
"How do you feel about Helga abandoning the game?" asked the woman.   
  
Arnold had been so concerned about letting Gerald's secret slip that he hadn't had time to think about Helga's reaction to his question. What was the matter with her?   
  
"I haven't really thought about it," admitted Arnold. "I am still mad at Helga for what she did, but since she is the only person here with me, it would make it a lot easier if we were friends. I'll try and talk to her tomorrow."   
  
Arnold left the room, and started to get ready for bed.  
  
***  
  
It was midday the next day, and at PS 118, almost all of the fourth grade was gathered around one table in the school cafeteria. They were all talking excitedly about whether Helga would actually leave the house. For them, yesterday had been the most shocking day of the television program that they had watched yet, and the kids didn't seem to be able to talk about anything else.   
  
"She can't leave, she just can't!" said Rhonda firmly. "The producers of the show won't let her leave in a hurry."  
  
"Rhonda, they can't force her to stay!" Nadine told her. "She can leave whenever she likes!"   
  
"I just wish we weren't in school!" moaned Rhonda. "I'd be watching the show live on the Internet!"  
  
All of the kids who had access to the Internet agreed. The conversation carried on until Gerald, who had been the only person in Arnold's class who wasn't taking part in the discussion, walked towards the table with a newspaper.   
  
"Oh, if it isn't Gerald!" teased Harold. "How do you feel about Phoebe today, Gerald? Do you want to kiss her?"   
  
The game of Truth or Dare had been broadcast, and everybody now knew about Gerald's feelings for Phoebe. Gerald and Phoebe both went bright red in the face, but Gerald didn't say anything about Phoebe.   
  
"Look at this!" he exclaimed, holding up the newspaper so that all of the other kids could see. The whole of the front page had been taken up with a report on the show, under the headline "I'm Leaving". A sub-heading read, "The House star Helga Pataki has had enough".   
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Phoebe, amazed that the press was taking such a great amount of interest.   
  
The newspaper was excitedly passed around the cafeteria table until everybody had read it and it was passed back to Gerald.   
  
"Phoebe," said Gerald nervously. "Can I speak to you outside?"   
  
"Sure," said Phoebe, and walked slowly outside the cafeteria to talk to Gerald.   
  
"What's up, Gerald?" Harold shouted to him. "Don't you want to kiss her in front of us?"  
  
"Ignore him," said Phoebe, once they were both outside the cafeteria. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
Gerald stood silently for a moment, thinking about what he was going to say. Since he had seen the television show the previous night, he had been thinking about what he was going to say to Phoebe, but everything that he had rehearsed had suddenly been wiped from his memory. Gerald wasn't angry with Arnold; it had been Helga who had put him in such an awkward position. Gerald understood that it must be hard to keep a secret when cameras are watching you 24 hours a day.   
  
"Well, about what Arnold said last night," started Gerald. "I don't know where he could have got such a crazy idea!"  
  
"Don't worry," said Phoebe, who was grinning. "You don't have to be nervous. I like you, too!"  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Gerald happily. "That's great, it's brilliant!"  
  
"Maybe you could come over to my house tonight, maybe we could watch The House together!" Phoebe laughed.  
  
"I'll be there!" said Gerald immediately. "So, how much do you know about Helga's feelings for Arnold....."  
  
Talking about the house had become a craze that the whole school had taken part in. Teachers were worried because classes couldn't keep quiet for more than five minutes, as students had to tell everybody about the latest bit of gossip that they had heard about the show. Even Wolfgang, who was known for teasing and bullying Arnold's class, had taken a sudden interest in the fourth graders, constantly asking the class questions about what they knew about Helga and Arnold.   
  
But, it wasn't just Arnold's school who seemed to be addicted to the show, it had become a national obsession. It was amazing how many adults watched the show, even though the two stars were children. Offices came to a standstill as people watched live events from The House on their computers. Security around The House was at it's highest ever, as more and more people were trying to get close to it, to get messages to Helga and Arnold.   
  
DAY FIVE  
12:00 MIDDAY  
  
The House had been silent for more then twelve hours, because Arnold and Helga were still asleep. Emotion Central had been waiting impatiently for Helga to wake up so they could ask her if she still wanted to leave The House. The production team did not want Helga to go, they all shared the opinion that viewing figures would drop without Helga, but they needed to know for sure if she was going to leave, because they needed to make preparations for a new contestant to replace Helga, if she was going to leave.   
  
Emotion Central decided that it was time to wake both Arnold and Helga up, so they made an announcement over the PA system. "Could Helga please come to Emotion Central?" This announcement did not wake either of the housemates up, so the announcement was made again. "Could Helga please come to Emotion Central?" Again, the announcement did not wake either of the housemates up. After five more tries, Emotion Central gave up. Helga and Arnold were still sleeping peacefully.   
  
2:07 PM  
  
Arnold was disturbed by the sound of shouting from outside and woke up. He left his bedroom, still quite sleepy, and made his way to the garden. Three children had managed to get close enough to The House for Helga and Arnold to be able to hear them. They were shouting, "Arnold - Helga loves you!" but they were too far away for Arnold to be able to hear clearly, although he was sure that he could make out the word, "loves".  
  
Arnold made his way to Emotion Central, happy to be reminded by the voices that had been shouting that there was still a world outside The House.   
  
"Hi!" said Arnold, happily.   
  
"Hello," said a man's voice.  
  
"I think that I just heard voices from outside!" exclaimed Arnold. "They were saying something about love and I think that it's probably something to do with Truth or Dare last night. Helga wouldn't tell me who she had a crush on and maybe she told you. It was probably just some kids trying to tell me who she likes." Arnold laughed and then realised that he had no idea what time it was. "What time is it, anyway?" he asked.   
  
"The time is 2:10 PM."  
  
"Wow, I can't believe I slept in so late!" said Arnold, who sounded slightly amused. "I'd better go and wake up Helga, she'll probably be angry if she thinks that I let her sleep for hours. When are you setting our next task?"   
  
Emotion Central had been more worried about whether Helga was staying as a contestant than about their task and they had forgotten to think of one.   
  
"We may set it later on today or early tomorrow morning."  
  
"Thanks!" said Arnold, who left Emotion Central and made his way to Helga's room.   
  
Because there were no windows in The House, apart from the clear doors to the garden, Helga's room was still darkened, because the lights were turned off. Arnold could hear Helga muttering to herself in her sleep.   
  
"Why can't I admit to you how I feel?" she was muttering. "I love you! Kiss me, kiss me, my darling!"   
"Wow, she does like somebody!" Arnold said to himself. He turned on the lights; this disturbed Helga and woke her up.   
  
"Arnold!" she said happily.  
  
"Hi," said Arnold.   
  
Helga rubbed her eyes and shouted, "Get out of my room, you football headed freak!"   
  
"No," argued Arnold. "It's 2:10 PM, you have to get up!"   
  
"Really?" asked Helga, calming down. "Give me a few minutes and I'll get ready."   
  
2:20 PM  
  
Helga and Arnold were now dressed, and had decided to have their lunch and no breakfast. Emotion Central wasted no time in getting Helga's decision and called her to the room. "Can Helga please visit Emotion Central?"  
  
Helga ignored them; she needed time to think. "Arnold, could you please go and tell them to leave me alone for a while?" she asked him.   
  
"Sure," said Arnold, who was now sympathetic with Helga because Emotion Central called her to the room about five times a day. He went into the room and said that Helga didn't feel like talking to them at that moment.   
  
5:00 PM  
  
Arnold and Helga had been getting on well with each other all day, and she decided that it was time to tell Arnold what she had told Emotion Central the previous night.   
  
"I felt really depressed yesterday," started Helga. "I'm sorry about ruining our chances of completing the task."   
  
"Well, I'm sorry for not accepting your apology in the first place," Arnold apologised. "I haven't really realised how much this experience has affected you."   
  
"Last night, I felt so bad that I told Emotion Central that I wanted to leave," admitted Helga.   
  
Although Arnold had been aware that Helga was upset, he hadn't expected her to think about leaving. He had always thought that Helga was strong and right from the start, he had thought that he would think about leaving before Helga would.   
  
"Do you feel like you want to leave now?" asked Arnold.   
  
"No," admitted Helga. "It's been quite a good day so far. I just think that I have had a pretty bad couple of days. That's why Emotion Central has been wanting to speak to me today. They want to know if I have changed my mind. I'll talk to them soon."   
  
"Please don't leave, Helga," pleaded Arnold. "You're strong and you'll get through this. Although I didn't expect to have you as a housemate at first, I wouldn't want to spend this time with anybody else, now."  
  
These words were like a magical spell to Helga. They lifted her spirits dramatically, and in her mind, she knew that she was going to stay.   
  
7:08 PM  
  
Helga had entered Emotion Central and spoke words that brought joy to the production team. "I've decided that I want to stay."  
  
Notes: I know that this chapter wasn't very eventful; but in nine weeks, you can't expect every day to be eventful! I hope that everybody is still enjoying the series and I love getting all of your reviews. Hopefully, I'll have the diary entries for Day Five up soon. I know that Helga and Arnold were asleep for a looooong time, it must be because they hadn't been getting much sleep on the previous night!  



	10. Day Five - The Diaries

Hey Arnold!  
  
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Ten  
  
By Simmer 2000  
  
Disclaimer: Lawyers, take note! I'm not saying that I own Hey Arnold by writing this. I'm just a kid writing a fan fic.  
  
~Helga's Diary of Day Five~  
  
Finally, a happy day! Arnold and I made our peace and we had a really pleasant day. But, I missed most of the day! We didn't get up until 2 in the afternoon! As soon as I was awake and ready, Emotion Central wanted to know if I was staying. I didn't want to speak to them - I wanted to talk with Arnold. I asked him to tell Emotion Central to leave me alone - and he did.   
  
I spent most of the day talking to Arnold about lots of things and I love talking to him! I talked a lot today; I think that I'll be more of a listener tomorrow. It will probably be hard to get proper conversations going tomorrow, because I think that Emotion Central are setting us another task.   
  
I used our time together today to talk about how I've been feeling over the last couple of days. It has been hard for me more than it has been for him. I have revealed my biggest secret to millions of viewers and I am having trouble keeping it from him. I'm sure that Emotion Central will use other ways to try and get me to tell Arnold and I'm expecting the press to try and tell Arnold again.   
  
I think that Arnold was quite shocked when I told him that I had thought about leaving; but he doesn't know everything that has been going on since we have been here. He doesn't know what those notes that were dropped into the garden were about and he doesn't know why I refused to carry on playing Truth or Dare. I think that he knew that I was having a hard time; but not that much of a hard time.   
  
He apologised to me for staying mad at me yesterday and when I told him that I had thought about leaving, he said the most magical words. It's like they are glued into my memory! He said, "Please don't leave, Helga. You're strong and you'll get through this. Although I didn't expect to have you as a housemate at first, I wouldn't want to spend this time with anybody else, now." Wow! It was then that I made my decision to stay.  
  
About two hours later, I went into Emotion Central and confirmed that I'm staying. If things keep going well; I'll tell Arnold about my feelings soon.   
  
~Helga~  
  
~Arnold's Diary of Day Four/Five~  
  
Last night I asked Emotion Central not to broadcast our game of Truth or Dare because it was telling the world about Gerald's private life. But, they refused. I know that they probably read these diaries out to the audience; so I want to pass a message across to Gerald: I'm really sorry and I hope you can forgive me. I really didn't mean to let your secret slip and I hope that the kids in school aren't giving you a hard time about it.   
  
Helga and I didn't wake up until 2 PM today! It was mostly because I haven't been sleeping much on the previous nights and now I'm finally getting used to my bed in The House! I suppose that it's probably the same for Helga. I woke up first and then I woke Helga up. She was slightly mad at first, but I think that was because she was still half-asleep.   
  
Once Helga was awake; we had a really great day! We spent most of it really lazily, we were just talking to each other all day, but it was the most pleasant day that we've had so far. Helga told me how depressed she has felt over the last two days and that made me feel really bad because I haven't really been very understanding, but I apologised for it. Helga told me that she told Emotion Central that she wanted to leave yesterday. I was shocked when she said that to me. Helga was homesick? Usually she doesn't let her feelings show easily; but today she told me exactly how she had felt since we moved in here, although I still feel that she is hiding something.   
  
I tried to discourage her from leaving and I think that it was what I said that made her stay because later on today, she ended up telling Emotion Central that she has decided to stay. I'm really happy because now that we have started to settle in together, I can't really imagine staying here with anybody else.   
  
Tomorrow may not be so peaceful because I think that Emotion Central is setting our new task. I hope that it's nothing too hard!  
  
~Arnold~  



End file.
